BattlefieldsCromwell Secures Cambridge 1642
English Civil War

Cromwell Secures Cambridge 1642

1642
Cambridgeshire, England
Also known as: Cambridge Castle 1642 · Cromwell Takes Cambridge
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Cambridgeshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Royalists
Forces
Royalists c. 200-300; Cambridge secured
VS
Victor
Parliamentarians (Cromwell)
Forces
Cromwell c. 300-500
Outcome
Cambridge secured for Parliament; college silver seized
The Battle

History & Significance

Oliver Cromwell — MP for Cambridge — acted decisively at the start of the war to secure Cambridge for Parliament, seizing the castle and intercepting college silver that was being sent to the King. His bold action secured the university town and was one of his first military acts of the Civil War. Cambridge became the administrative centre of the Eastern Association, the Parliamentary organisation that funded Cromwell's cavalry.

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